London Hairdresser of the Year: meet the finalists

The British Hairdressing Awards are nearly upon us, and London Hairdresser of the Year is one of the most hotly contested categories. I went to sample the finalists’ creative wares, enjoying a cuppa and a chat with the guys as they blow-dried my hair. Here they are:

Gary InghamGary Ingham Salon & Spa, Hampstead, London

Gary presides over this eponoymous spa in Hampstead with a delightfully down-to-earth manner, especially considering the celebs he looks after: Liam Gallagher, Mel Perkins and Anna Richardson have all sat in his chair. Gary uses delicious-smelling Aveda products and specialises in doing classic, long hair (as you’d expect with his glossy Hampstead clientele). Gary gives good blow-dry with a caring touch, something that’s complemented by super-friendly salon manager Sean. Gary left my hair straight, volumised and perfect for a smart north London day.

Andrew HeasmanRUSH Hair, London

Andrew’s been at RUSH for nearly 20 years and sees clients at their cute Victoria branch every Saturday – the rest of the week he’s teaching skills to RUSH staff because education is his real passion. Andrew’s Sassoon background means that he’s a precision cutter – but he won’t force a geometric bob on anyone. He says: “For me, hairdressing is all about the client and what they want - it’s about giving them something that suits their lifestyle and personality.” Having correctly identified my love for my long hair, he set about making it glossy with a Kerastase moisturising treatment and lots of work on the cuticles – making the cuticles lay flat, says Andrew, is the key to a good blow dry. My hair was still soft and shiny the next day.

London Hairdresser of the Year finalists - in pictures

London Hairdresser of the Year finalists - in pictures

1/5
Gary Ingham

2/5
Andrew Heasman

RUSH Hair, London

3/5
Cos Sakkas

Toni & Guy, Sloane Square, London

4/5
Richard Ashforth

Saco, London

5/5
Darren Bain

HOB Salons, Camden, London

Cos SakkasToni & Guy, Sloane Square, London

Cos is a Toni & Guy long-timer – 20 years at this famous chain – and is their International Artistic director. He’s won London Hairdresser of the Year before but that hasn’t stopped him entering again this year. Busy with teaching the younger Toni & Guy generation and styling fashion shows, he only sees clients once a month – but when he does, he likes to do “a bit of everything”. Cos is very focused on creating on-trend hair rather than classic styles, using Toni & Guy’s own Label M range to do so.

Richard AshforthSaco, London

Richard was going to be a rock star, but he became a hairdresser instead and went on to found Saco, this international mini-chain of salons. He’s still tended to the locks of music’s finest though, including New Order’s Bernard Sumner. Richard’s ethos is about “making people look good and feel good”. Even though he would have liked to send me out with rock-chick type hairstyle myself, he listened to my request for straight, sleek hair and that’s what I got. He’s into natural products like Kevin Murphy’s paraben-free range and used that along with the divine-smelling Sebastian Mousse Forte. I had nice straight hair for a good couple of days. Result!

Darren BainHOB Salons, Camden, London

When it comes to creative styling, Darren’s all about short hair – the portfolio he submitted to the Awards judges comprise spiky, glam, 80s-album-cover styles. But when it comes to his clients at HOB Baker Street, Darren sticks to more traditional styles, which worked for me, as I wanted a nice glossy blow-dry that would withstand that day’s rain. Being a relaxed type – he’s got a lovely, calm way about him – Darren initially wanted to give me a disheveled do but he was happy to comply with my request for a neater do. Interestingly, Darren is all about clean living, which filters through to his attitude towards product – he’d rather clients eased up on both product and over-shampooing. Twice a week max, people, if you want your natural oils to do their work. As for my blow-dry, it lasted for a couple of days and looked very pretty.

Sam BurnettHare and Bone, London

Sam’s salon opens in December so I didn’t get the chance to see him – watch this space!

I’ll be presenting live from the British Hairdressing Awards on Mon Nov 24 for London Live. Tune in from 6pm-7.30pm to see the Awards on the Evening News and the Evening Show, londonlive.co.uk